Social Determinants for Moms Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 943 To address social determinants of maternal health with respect to pregnant and postpartum individuals, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 8, 2021 Mrs. MCBATH (for herself, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. RYAN, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. SOTO, Mr. NADLER, Mr. TRONE, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. BASS, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. EVANS, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. SEWELL, and Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia) introduced the fol- lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com- merce, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, Trans- portation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com- mittee concerned A BILL To address social determinants of maternal health with re- spect to pregnant and postpartum individuals, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Mar 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 943 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Social Determinants 2 for Moms Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY TO AD- 4 DRESS SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF MATER- 5 NAL HEALTH. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 7 Human Services shall convene a task force (in this section 8 referred to as the ‘‘Task Force’’) to develop a strategy 9 to coordinate efforts between Federal agencies to address 10 social determinants of maternal health with respect to 11 pregnant and postpartum individuals. 12 (b) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The ex officio members 13 of the Task Force shall consist of the following: 14 (1) The Secretary of Health and Human Serv- 15 ices (or a designee thereof). 16 (2) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel- 17 opment (or a designee thereof). 18 (3) The Secretary of Transportation (or a des- 19 ignee thereof). 20 (4) The Secretary of Agriculture (or a designee 21 thereof). 22 (5) The Secretary of Labor (or a designee 23 thereof). 24 (6) The Administrator of the Environmental 25 Protection Agency (or a designee thereof). 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Mar 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 943 IH (7) The Assistant Secretary for the Administra- 1 tion for Children and Families (or a designee there- 2 of). 3 (8) The Administrator of the Centers for Medi- 4 care & Medicaid Services (or a designee thereof). 5 (9) The Director of the Indian Health Service 6 (or a designee thereof). 7 (10) The Director of the National Institutes of 8 Health (or a designee thereof). 9 (11) The Administrator of the Health Re- 10 sources and Services Administration (or a designee 11 thereof). 12 (12) The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minor- 13 ity Health of the Department of Health and Human 14 Services (or a designee thereof). 15 (13) The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Wom- 16 en’s Health of the Department of Health and 17 Human Services (or a designee thereof). 18 (14) The Director of the Centers for Disease 19 Control and Prevention (or a designee thereof). 20 (15) The Director of the Office on Violence 21 Against Women at the Department of Justice (or a 22 designee thereof). 23 (c) APPOINTED MEMBERS.—In addition to the ex 24 officio members of the Task Force, the Secretary of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Mar 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 943 IH Health and Human Services shall appoint the following 1 members of the Task Force: 2 (1) At least two representatives of patients, to 3 include— 4 (A) a representative of patients who have 5 suffered from severe maternal morbidity; or 6 (B) a representative of patients who is a 7 family member of an individual who suffered a 8 pregnancy-related death. 9 (2) At least two leaders of community-based or- 10 ganizations that address maternal mortality and se- 11 vere maternal morbidity with a specific focus on ra- 12 cial and ethnic disparities. In appointing such lead- 13 ers under this paragraph, the Secretary of Health 14 and Human Services shall give priority to individ- 15 uals who are leaders of organizations led by individ- 16 uals from racial and ethnic minority groups. 17 (3) At least two perinatal health workers. 18 (4) A professionally diverse panel of maternity 19 care providers. 20 (d) CHAIR.—The Secretary of Health and Human 21 Services shall select the chair of the Task Force from 22 among the members of the Task Force. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Mar 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 943 IH (e) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 1 of the enactment of this Act, the Task Force shall submit 2 to Congress a report on— 3 (1) the strategy developed under subsection (a); 4 (2) recommendations on funding amounts with 5 respect to implementing such strategy; 6 (3) recommendations for how to expand cov- 7 erage of social services to address social deter- 8 minants of maternal health under Medicaid managed 9 care organizations and State Medicaid programs. 10 (f) TERMINATION.—Section 14 of the Federal Advi- 11 sory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to 12 the Task Force with respect to termination. 13 SEC. 3. HOUSING FOR MOMS GRANT PROGRAM. 14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Housing and 15 Urban Development shall establish a Housing for Moms 16 grant program under this section to make grants to eligi- 17 ble entities to increase access to safe, stable, affordable, 18 and adequate housing for pregnant and postpartum indi- 19 viduals and their families. 20 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 21 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the 22 Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 23 and containing such information as the Secretary may 24 provide. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Mar 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 943 IH (c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec- 1 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity 2 that— 3 (1) is a community-based organization or will 4 partner with a community-based organization to im- 5 plement initiatives to increase access to safe, stable, 6 affordable, and adequate housing for pregnant and 7 postpartum individuals and their families; 8 (2) is operating in an area with high rates of 9 adverse maternal health outcomes or significant ra- 10 cial or ethnic disparities in maternal health out- 11 comes, to the extent such data are available; and 12 (3) is operating in an area with a high poverty 13 rate or significant number of individuals who lack 14 consistent access to safe, stable, affordable, and ade- 15 quate housing. 16 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives 17 a grant under this section shall use funds under the grant 18 for the purposes of— 19 (1) identifying and conducting outreach to 20 pregnant and postpartum individuals who are low-in- 21 come and lack consistent access to safe, stable, af- 22 fordable, and adequate housing; 23 (2) providing safe, stable, affordable, and ade- 24 quate housing options to such individuals; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Mar 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 943 IH (3) connecting such individuals with local orga- 1 nizations offering safe, stable, affordable, and ade- 2 quate housing options; 3 (4) providing application assistance to such in- 4 dividuals seeking to enroll in programs offering safe, 5 stable, affordable, and adequate housing options; 6 (5) providing direct financial assistance to such 7 individuals for the purposes of maintaining safe, sta- 8 ble, and adequate housing for the duration of the in- 9 dividual’s pregnancy and postpartum periods; and 10 (6) working with relevant stakeholders to en- 11 sure that local housing and homeless shelter infra- 12 structure is supportive to pregnant and postpartum 13 individuals, including through— 14 (A) health-promoting housing codes; 15 (B) enforcement of housing codes; 16 (C) proactive rental inspection programs; 17 (D) code enforcement officer training; and 18 (E) partnerships between regional offices 19 of the Department of Housing and Urban De- 20 velopment and community-based organizations 21 to ensure housing laws are understood and vio- 22 lations are discovered. 23 (e) REPORTING.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Mar 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 943 IH (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary shall 1 require each eligible entity receiving a grant under 2 this section to annually submit to the Secretary and 3 make publicly available a report on the status of ac- 4 tivities conducted using the grant. 5 (2) SECRETARY.—Not later than the end of 6 each fiscal year in which grants are made under this 7 section, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress 8 and make publicly available a report that— 9 (A) summarizes the reports received under 10 paragraph (1); 11 (B) evaluates the effectiveness of grants 12 awarded under this section in increasing access 13 to safe, stable, affordable, and adequate hous- 14 ing for pregnant and postpartum individuals 15 and their families; and 16 (C) makes recommendations with respect 17 to ensuring activities described subsection (d) 18 continue after grant amounts made available 19 under this section are expended. 20 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 21 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 22 ty’’ means— 23 (A) a community-based organization; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Mar 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 943 IH (B) a State or local governmental entity, 1 including a State or local public health depart- 2 ment; 3 (C) an Indian tribe or tribal organization 4 (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the 5 Indian Self-Determination and Education As- 6 sistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); or 7 (D) an Urban Indian organization (as such 8 term is defined in section 4 of the Indian 9 Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 10 1603)). 11 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 12 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 13 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 14 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 15 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2022, which shall remain 16 available until expended. 17 SEC. 4. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. 18 (a) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 19 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation 20 shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a 21 report containing— 22 (1) an assessment of transportation barriers 23 preventing individuals from attending prenatal and 24 postpartum appointments, accessing maternal health 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Mar 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 943 IH care services, or accessing services and resources re- 1 lated to social determinants maternal of health; 2 (2) recommendations on how to overcome the 3 barriers assessed under paragraph (1); and 4 (3) an assessment of transportation safety risks 5 for pregnant individuals and recommendations on 6 how to mitigate such risks. 7 (b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out subsection 8 (a), the Secretary shall give special consideration to solu- 9 tions for— 10 (1) pregnant and postpartum individuals living 11 in a health professional shortage area designated 12 under section 332 of the Public Health Service Act 13 (42 U.S.C. 254e); 14 (2) pregnant and postpartum individuals living 15 in areas with high maternal mortality or severe mor- 16 bidity rates or significant racial or ethnic disparities 17 in maternal health outcomes; or 18 (3) pregnant and postpartum individuals with a 19 disability that impacts mobility. 20 SEC. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 21 (a) SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PRO- 22 GRAM.— 23 (1) EXTENSION OF POSTPARTUM PERIOD.— 24 Section 17(b)(10) of the Child Nutrition Act of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Mar 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 943 IH 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(b)(10)) is amended by strik- 1 ing ‘‘six months’’ and inserting ‘‘24 months’’. 2 (2) EXTENSION OF BREASTFEEDING PERIOD.— 3 Section 17(d)(3)(A)(ii) of the Child Nutrition Act of 4 1966 (7 U.S.C. 1431(d)(3)(A)(ii)) is amended by 5 striking ‘‘1 year’’ and inserting ‘‘24 months’’. 6 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 7 date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary 8 shall submit to Congress a report that includes an 9 evaluation of the effect of each of the amendments 10 made by this subsection on— 11 (A) maternal and infant health outcomes, 12 including racial and ethnic disparities with re- 13 spect to such outcomes; 14 (B) breastfeeding rates among postpartum 15 individuals; 16 (C) qualitative evaluations of family experi- 17 ences under the special supplemental nutrition 18 program under section 17 of the Child Nutri- 19 tion Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786); and 20 (D) other relevant information as deter- 21 mined by the Secretary. 22 (b) GRANT PROGRAM FOR HEALTHY FOOD AND 23 CLEAN WATER FOR PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM INDI- 24 VIDUALS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Mar 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 943 IH (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 1 a program to award grants, on a competitive basis, 2 to eligible entities to carry out the activities de- 3 scribed in paragraph (4). 4 (2) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for a grant 5 under this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit 6 to the Secretary an application at such time, in such 7 manner, and containing such information as the Sec- 8 retary determines appropriate. 9 (3) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under thi [Text truncated for display. 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